Ground contacting treads of pneumatic tires are often reinforced with silica to improve rolling resistance and improve wet braking performance as compared to carbon black reinforced treads. To improve the dispersion and interaction of the silica with tread rubber, silane coupling agents are used. However, silane/silica treads are typically inferior in dynamic stiffness as compared with carbon black reinforced treads, leading to inferior performance in certain areas, such as handling and cornering. There is, therefore, a need for improved performance of ground contacting treads containing silica and silane reinforcement.